Ciaran Hinds Joins Benedict Cumberbatch in HAMLET at the Barbican This Autumn

The Daily Mail writes that Ciaran Hinds will play 'Claudius' in Sonia Friedman Productions' upcoming staging of HAMLET, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role at the Barbican Theatre from 5 August 2015. Lyndsey Turner directs.

Also in the cast are Anastasia Hille as 'Gertrude', Sian Brooke as 'Ophelia', Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as 'Laertes', Jim Norton as 'Polonius' and Leo Bill as 'Horatio'.

Few details about the setting have surfaced, but Cumberbatch reportedly told the Mail that "in this Hamlet, the security of the state is threatened."

HAMLET will also be broadcast to cinemas around the world as part of National Theatre Live.

With set designs by Es Devlin and video design by Luke Halls, Hamlet begins its 12-week run at the Barbican Theatre on 5 August 2015, with opening night on 25 August at 7pm. The twelve week limited run will conclude on 31 October 2015.

As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father's death but paralysed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.

Hinds, known for his role as 'Mance Rayder' in GAME OF THRONES, has appeared on Broadway in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, THE SEAFARER and CLOSER. He also recently starred off-Broadway in THE NIGHT ALIVE. A prolific Shakespearean stage actor, Hinds has appeared in shows with the RSC, the Royal National Theatre and Glasgow Citizens' Theatre. His other recent UK credits include JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK, BURNT BY THE SUN, MACHINAL, and more. Among Hinds' recent screen credits are ROAD TO PERDITION, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, and the TV series ROME, ABOVE SUSPICION, and POLITICAL ANIMALS.

Pictured: Ciaran Hinds in Atlantic Theater Company's THE NIGHT ALIVE in 2013. Photo by Helen Warner.